Garment hanger unit



July 29, 1969 M. l.. BACHARACH 3,458,093

GARMENT HANGER UNIT Filed March l, 1967 Jona: Brunn Supa.- Trouser:

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i g. 5B www1 fw Melvin L. Bacharach MK2/W4 Attorneys United States Patent O 3,458,093 GARMENT HANGER UNIT Melvin L. Bacharach, San Rafael, Calif., assiguor to Levi Strauss & Co., San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Mar. 1, 1967, Ser. No. 619,848 Int. Cl. A41d 27/22 U.S. Cl. 223-87 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A garment hanger unit comprises an essentially rectangular panel of corrugated cardboard. The panel includes a hook portion formed in one margin thereof for supporting the panel on a horizontal clothes pole Vand also includes a pair of windows through which a folded pair of trousers is passed in opposite directions so as -to lock the trousers to the panel. The corners of the Windows converge and engage the fabric of the trousers.

Background of the invention and objects This invention pertains to a garment hanger unit for handling and hanging a garment such as a folded skirt r a folded pair of trousers. More particularly, this invention pertains to a garment hanger unit of la type suitable for handling the combination of a hanger and garment as a single unitary construction.

In the garment industry, as for example, in the manufacture and distribution of trousers and skirts of a type, for example, such as manufactured of denim material, frequently the garments are stacked at and displayed in piles on counter tops. This manner of handling garments of the above kind imposes certain limitations relative to automating the handling of these garments and, accordingly, to automate lthe garments, it is believed important to arrange them in a manner whereby they can be handled as a unit together with a suitable device for displaying the garment.

In addition, in handling garments of the above type, it has been conventional practice to staple cardboard labels and the like to the garments for purposes of providing certificates of warranty and brand name identification, other advertising material and price. This procedure entails the necessary expense of the labor involved in handling the garment to apply such labels and, accordingly, it is desirable to minimize this expense as much as possible.

It is a general object of this invention to provide an improved garment display article.

It is another object of the invention to provide a garment display article wherein the garment and a hanger comprise a unitized display.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger construction of the type adapted to engage and grip a garment for hanging from a horizontal clothes pole and for displaying, not only the garment, but the attendant merchandizing information normally carried by the garment itself.

These and other objects of the invention will be more readily understood from the following summary of the invention.

Summary of the invention In general, a garment hanger Construction together with a folded garment such as trousers forms a unitized garment display article. The hanger construction comprises a rigid panel formed with spaced edges .at the ends and sides thereof. Means adapted to support the panel from a transverse rest or support, such as a clothes pole rice have been formed adjacent the periphery within the perimeter of the panel, yand a pair of elongated generally transverse windows formed through the panel in spaced parallel relation serve to engage and grip trousers passed through the panel in opposite directions. The sill of one of the windows engages and supports the trousers draped thereacross, while the other window lies below the firstnamed window to receive the trousers therethrough. The spacing between the sill of the lower window and the upper edge of the lower window is sufficiently close so as to induce a suiciently abrupt reverse curve in the trousers passing therethrough, and in this manner, to lock the trousers to the panel.

In the preferred embodiment shown, the ends of the sill and the top edge of the associated window gradually converge so as to taper the opening of the window for engagement with the upper and under fabric surfaces of the trousers disposed within the window. Furthermore beneath the lower window, a relatively broad iat portion of the panel provides a planar supporting surface for a portion of the trousers whereby a relatively broad support area of the panel is defined below the upper window to the lower edge of the panel. In this manner, when held horizontally, the panel tends to support the trousers whereby the unit can be handled much as a single flat article with relatively little drooping of the trousers in the unsupported portion.

The foregoing general arrangement may be better understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation view of a unitized garment display article, according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation view of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged detailed view of that portion of FIGURE 1 defined by the line 3 3;

FIGURE 4 is a schematic diagram showing the folded trousers viewed from the edge as shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURES 5A and 5B diagram the folding of a pair pair of trousers; and

FIGURE 6 is a front elevation view of another ernbodiment, according to the invention.

Referring to the drawings, preferred embodiments have been shown incorporating as a portion of a unitized garment display article 10, a pair of folded trousers 11 in conjunction with a garment hanger construction 12. While the unitized garment display article 10 preferably is to be employed in conjunction with a pair of yfolded trousers 11, it will be readily apparent that a folded skirt could similarly be employed. However, the preferred construction will be described with regard to 1a pair of folded trousers and, accordingly, the panel |12 will be referred to as a trouser hanger panel.

Panel 12 comprises a single unitary rigid panel, preferably of two-layer corrugated cardboard. Manufacture of panel 12 from a duo-layer corrugated cardboard permits the ready die cut formation of various openings therein as now to be described.

Panel 12 is formed with spaced edges at the ends and sides thereof respectively numbered 13, 14, 15 and 16. Thus, edges 13-16 define the perimeter of panel 12 within which there is 'formed an opening 17 disposed in the margin of panel 12 and dimensioned and adapted to receive a rest or support, such as a horizontal clothes pole (not shown) which will extend therethrough transversely of panel 12. Opening 17 is formed whereby a portion 18 of panel 12 above opening 17 extends across the opening so as to form a relatively rigid support adapted to rest upon the clothes pole in opening 17.

By forming the hook portion 18 of panel 12 within the perimeter thereof and in the plane of panel 12, it will be readily apparent that ho'okportion 18 will not provide any awkward projection of a type likely to make handling of the article more diicult, nor will hook portion 18 be subject to being bumped or bent in manipulating article 10. In addition, by forming hook portion 18 in the manner shown, considerable strength is irnparted to that portion 18 by the arcuately formed edges 19, 21.

A pair of indicia areas 22, 23 form labeling zones adapted to receive printed labels containing information generally pertinent to the trousers or skirt hung from panel 12.

An elongated window 24 has been formed through panel 12 to provide a sill 26 along its lower edge. The upper edge 27 tapers downwardly at its ends 28, 29 to converge upon and merge with sill 26. The span of window 24 corresponds substantially to the width of the folded trouser legs 31 at a point substantially one-quarter of the way down from the waist 32 of a pair of trousers 11.

Trousers 11, thus, are folded along a fold line 33 midway between waist 32 and bottoms 34. In thi configuration, the trousers are then draped across sill 26 to be supported from a clothes pole (not shown) by means of hook portion 18 of panel 12.

The corners 36, 37 of window 24, by virtue of the converging edges of sill 36 and edge 29 in conjunction with the substantially corresponding span of window 24 relative to the `width of trouser legs 31 as disposed across sill 26 serves to engage trousers 11 with a relatively secure grip.

Means for positively locking trousers 111 to panel 12 comprises a lower window 38 comparable to window 24, but of slightly lesser span to compensate for the diminished width of trouser legs 31. Thus, window 38 includes a sill 39 and an upper edge 41. The spacing between sill 39 and edge 41 is suiciently closely spaced so as to induce an abrupt reverse curve 42 when passed therethrough. In this manner, any movement 'of trouser legs 31 upwardly out of window 38 will cause a binding action within window 38 thereby resisting further upward movement and hence downward movement of trousers at waist 32.

Finally, it will be observed that by disposing window 24 down fr-om edge 16 an amount merely suicient to accommodate the indicia areas 22, 23, a relatively broad portion 43 of panel 21 remains and, when article 10 is held out horizontally, portion 43 will serve to support enough of trousers 11 so that the unsupported portion thereof can be expected to droop only slightly from the plane of panel 12. The article 10 therefore handles much as a single unitized sheet for purposes of improved handling and manipulation.

Thus, the supporting portion 43 includes a lirst subportion 43a enclosed by trousers :11 and a second subportion 43b underlying both the upper and lower portions of the trousers when article 10 is held out horizontally in a manner supporting the trousers.

From the foregoing, it will be readily evident that the pair of trousers 11 is folded about a fold line 44 and then about a fold line 46 respectively disposed longitudinally and transversely of trousers 11. Trousers 11 then are draped across sill 26 and then inserted into window 38. Accordingly, it will be readily apparent that a skirt could be similarly folded about longitudinal and transverse fold lines and carried by panel 12 to Iform a unitized garment display article 10.

Another embodiment, according to the invention, is shown in FIGURE 6 and comprises a panel 47 comparable to panel 12 in FIGURE 1, but formed with openings 48 in the side margins of panel 47 rather than in the upper margin. Openings 48 are therefore adapted to receive horizontal clothes poles to support panel 47. An indicia area forming a labeling zone 49 is disposed between openings 48.

As in the embodiment shown in FIGURE l, the embodiment shown in FIGURE 6 includes a pair of garment receiving windows 51, 52 constructed in the same manner as described above relative to the embodiment in FIGURE 1.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment hanger construction comprising a rigid panel formed with spaced edges at the ends and sides thereof, means adapted to support said panel from a transverse clothes pole, a pair of elongated generally transverse windows formed through said panel in spaced parallel relation one above the other, the upper one of said windows including a sill for engaging and supporting a garment draped thereacross, the span of the upper window being dimensioned and adapted to correspond to the width of a trouser leg measured at a distance substantially one quarter of the way down from the waistline of the trousers, the other window having a slightly lesser span and lying below said upper one of the windows to receive said garment therethrough, the top of said upper window and said sill gradually converging to taper the open spacing therebetween for engagement withithe upper and under fabric surfaces of said width of garment in the window, the spacing between the sill of the upper window and the upper edge of the lower window being sufficiently closely spaced to induce an abrupt reverse curve in the garment passing through both windows so as to cause said panel to grip said garment and restrain said garment from movement through the upper window.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,355,984 8/1944 Lupton 223-87 2,584,218 2/ 1952 Walton 223-88 3,064,866 1l/1962 Sage 223-87 FOREIGN PATENTS 246,777 2/ 1926 Great Britain. 1,078,507 8/ 1967 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner G. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner 

